Sail USA 11 Provides A Unique Three-Hour Tour Of San Diego Bay
It is one thing to look out onto beautiful San Diego Bay and quite another to be on San Diego Bay.
There are a few ways to do this – aboard a Flagship or Hornblower cruise, the Coronado ferry, a jet ski or even a kayak – but there’s nothing like the experience provided by Sail USA 11 on Shelter Island.
That’s because you can actually go sailing on a boat that was in the America’s Cup, the world’s biggest and most famous sailboat race. Not only that, you can get behind the helm and sail one of its two boats, one of which was skippered by America’s Cup champion – and San Diego resident – Dennis Conner. The boats are Stars & Stripes USA-11 and the 1992 America’s Cup Italian entry IL Moro.
Sail USA 11 does charters for groups, corporate outings and even individuals who want to hop aboard for three hours on San Diego Bay (guys, this is a GREAT date excursion).
The boats go out of Shelter Island to under the Coronado Bridge, past the Coronado navy yard where you may see a giant aircraft carrier, gets right under the bow of the USS Midway, and criss-crosses the bay providing great views of the shore and downtown skyline. It also goes past the dolphin training center and on our cruise, we saw dolphins jumping out of the water behind a small boat as part of that training.
All at speeds you’ll never experience on any other sailboat. The boats easily overtake other sailboats on the bay and even matches the pace of many of the powerboats.
The crew is excellent at pointing out things along the way, too, and with a small group of a dozen or so on board, it is a very personal experience.
And are you ready for the best part? It’s cheap!
The price is just $125 per person (and only $75 for children) and that includes the three-hour tour and a link to photos and videos from the trip so you can enjoy it without having to worry about taking them all yourself (tho you are certainly welcome to do so, of course).
Plus, there’s free parking at the Kona Kai resort, the company’s home base.
If that all sounds too good to be true, well it’s not, because that’s what you get for the price.
You can also charter the entire boat, up to 15 guests, for $1,500. Corporate outings are $1,800 for up to 18 people. And remember, that comes with the crew.
So perhaps you are asking: “is it safe?” Or, more to the point, “what are the chances of me falling overboard?!”
The answer to that is that it’s extremely safe and you won’t fall overboard as long as you keep your feet and legs inside the boat.
For a review of a first-person experience of what it’s like to be on board – and even behind the wheel as skipper – click here.
Sailing Tips
• Flip flops or white-soled shoes
• Bring along a long-sleeve shirt and sweatshirt or jacket, for temperatures on the water are often cooler than on the land
• Girls, wear shorts, not a skirt
• Sunscreen
COVID-19 Precautions
• Temperatures are taking prior to leaving the dock
• Masks are required
Sail USA 11 Contact Information
• Website: https://www.sailusa11.com/
• Phone: (619) 540-1876
• E-mail: lynn.hanna@sailusa11.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/sailusa11
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/sailusa11
• Twitter: twitter.com/SANDIEGOSAIL
• YouTube: www.youtube.com
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